Leeanne Ericson is seen on a surfboard with her boyfriend in Dusty Phillips in the waters off San Onofre Beach before a shark attacked her. She described her ordeal on "Good Morning America," on Friday, July 28, 2017. (Image from ABC video)

Ericson has been quiet about the incident, and the GMA interview is her first appearance on camera for the San Diego woman and mother of three.

Her boyfriend, identified only as Rusty, recalled it being “a beautiful day, sun was shining, dolphins were jumping out of the water,” he said.

He held up a tattered wetsuit, a souvenir from that dreadful day meant as a day to celebrate a family member’s birthday.

“That’s all that was left,” he said.

Rusty recalled turning around and trying to paddle for a wave.

“Leeanne screams behind me,” he said.

“I felt it grab me and pull me down,” she said.

The single mother thought about her kids and Rusty and then tried to push the shark off her.

“I just started digging. I felt like I was digging a cup of Jell-O,” she said.

That was the shark’s eye, the interviewer asked.

“That’s what we assume,” Rusty said.

He recalled seeing Ericson “completely gray in color that looked like she was already dead.”

Nothing was said about her swift rescue by people on the beach, but in a previous interview by the Orange County Register, a group of people in the water, including a San Clemente man training to be an EMT, recalled trying to save Ericson’s life.

The incident at Church surf beach off Camp Pendleton was the second major shark attack in a one-year span, with a swimmer bit in 2016 on Memorial Day. Both were lucky to survive, but the two incidents have put a spotlight on sharks in the area as their populations increase. Their presence has had an impact on local businesses and sent a wave of fear throughout the surf world.

Ericson spent nine weeks in the Intensive Care Unit and had eight operations. When asked how much it cost to get bit by a shark, she chuckled and said “millions.”

Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Using a web-based approach, she turned her love for the ocean into a full-time gig as the paper’s beaches reporter. The unique beat allows her to delve into coastal culture by covering everything from the countless events dotting the 42 miles of coastline, to the business climate of the surf industry, to the fascinating wildlife that shows up on the shores. Most importantly, she takes pride in telling stories of the people who make the beaches so special, whether they are surfers using the ocean to heal, or the founders of major surf brands who helped spawn an entire culture, or people who tirelessly fight to keep the coast pristine and open for all to enjoy. She’s a world traveler who loves to explore the slopes during winter months or exotic surf spots around the globe. When she’s not working, or maybe while she's researching a story, you can find her longboarding at her favorite surf spots at San Onofre or Doheny.